


Thaumaturgy

by Panintoto, Zenith (Cervalces_Scotti)



Series: Slow Burnin' Kindle [8]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Anti-Faunus Racism (RWBY), Children, Demon Blood, Discrimination, F/F, Fluff and Humor, Forbidden Love, Getting to Know Each Other, Humor, Hunters & Hunting, Magic, Magical Accidents, Not Canon Compliant, Orphanage, Witch Hunters, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-03
Updated: 2020-02-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:13:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22539139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Panintoto/pseuds/Panintoto, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cervalces_Scotti/pseuds/Zenith
Summary: Fear can make people do many things, it kills, raises conflict, breeds ignorance. If that hate is left unchecked, the consequences are devastating.Eventually, the sliver of stability snapped after a single act of violence. Hundreds of years pass, the War sparked then waging onwards to the present day.A new generation is to join the fight, are they doomed to remain as ignorant as their predecessors?
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Sun Wukong, Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee
Series: Slow Burnin' Kindle [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1389709
Comments: 3
Kudos: 52





	Thaumaturgy

**Author's Note:**

> Figured I'd post this here

Weiss sighed, fastening the clasp of her thick white cloak, "Honestly Winter, the Forever Falls is in the Mountains. A territory that has been neutral since the beginning of the Wars, as well as having not a single trace of Hunters there. And I've already been going to it for resources for years."

"But, dear sister, it is still infested with Grimm. And is filled with old binding traps from other Thaumborne," the elder of the two chided, "just remember to--"

"-- answer your calls, which you will be making every 12 hours. I haven't forgotten," Weiss cut in, adjusting her satchel to rest on her right side, "I'll be gone for 3 days. One to gather food. And the last two collecting Red Sap for our sick and injured." Before she could walk out the door, Winter caught her by the shoulder, pulling her into a tight hug.

"I'm just worried. As of late, the zlor whelps have begun taking more extreme acts of violence against us...and I don't want you to fall victim to them," Winter wasn't one who usually expressed her affection physically, so, she carefully embraced her sister back, "I'll be safe Winter. I'll come back without a scratch, in fact. I promise."  
______________________________________________________

That was about 36 hours ago. So far, everything was going perfectly. Her total catch was 16 rabbits and 9 deer, already sent down by a summoned Death Stalker. Slow moving compared to her when traveling by Glyphs, but it could carry much more then she could at once. All that was left was to gather the Red Sap. Weiss wasn't the most patient person, and it didn't help that the sap was so thick it took 30 minutes per jar. It was amazing how she was able to do it for nearly 2 days straight.

' _Anything for my people...'_ She thought, sounding exasperated even in her own head.

Red Sap was basically the cure all in the magic world, second only to Dust, but much cheaper. Though, Weiss didn't plan on selling anything she collected, she instead gave it to those who are less fortunate then herself. Being the next in line for the Schnee Dust Coven gave her plenty of Lien to throw around. Her Father gladly let her do it, seeing it as another way to further bolster the family name.

Any how, as smoothly as things had been going, of course there is always something to ruin the flow. A distant noise caught her attention, followed by a flare of Mana. That meant two things. One, someone else is in the Forever Falls with her, two, that someone is a moron for not being able to detect a simple binding trap. She didn't sense any Mana coming from them either, odd, but they could have been surpressing it in case Hunters were around.

Weiss switched out the jars before making her way to the sound. They weren't that far, so they were easy to find...and the constant shouts of frustration gave them away as well. The first thing she noticed about them was their bright red cloak, it even stood out in the permanently fall colored leafs despite the distance between the them. They were being held by multiple tendrils that protruded from the ground, struggling to pull from them. More sprouted out the more they tugged at them.

The Witch rolled her eyes, and dispelled the binding trap with a simple wave of her hand, continuing to make her way to the stranger. They were surprised by the sudden disappearance of the tendrils, flailing a bit before falling over, "Whoa--ow!" They immediately checked their wrists, wincing as they touched the tender new scratches and cuts.

"I could patch that for you," Weiss offered.

Apparently they still didn't sense Weiss' presence, cause they jumped from the sound of her voice, only to fumble their way back to the ground with an, "Oof!" At least the Witch could confirm that they were female from the sound of their voice.

Weiss sighed, grabbing the girl by the hand and pulliher up, "You're such a klutz--" the girls hood fell back completely, revealing the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen. Bright pools of silver, gleaming with innocence--

"Uh...thanks...miss?" A high pitched voice cut off her thoughts. Weiss quickly recovered, letting go of their hand and stepping away, attempting to pretend as if she didn't just ogle the girl before her.

"I'm Weiss," She didn't bother with her last name because let's face it, it was the most well known in the Thaumborne community and throughout most of Remnant. "And you? I can't just keep calling you 'clumsy little Red' in my head. "

Said clumsy little Red pouted, becoming the epitome of kicked puppy personified, "I'm Ruby, Ruby Rose. Not clumsy little Red!" She declared (though it sounded more like a squeak to Weiss).

"Dolt," Was out of her mouth before she could stop herself, but now that it was said out loud it feel oddly fitting for this Ruby Rose character. "Whatever the case, come with me. Those open wounds need to be treated before an infection sets in."

Ruby fell into step beside her, "So, what are you doing all the way out here?"

"Gathering food and other resources. What about you? I haven't met a single person up here before."

"Hunting Grimm. But, it's been kinda slow, and it's really weird cause Grimm are, yah know, everywhere!"

As they approached the tree Weiss had been gathering the sap at, she hummed in thought, "True, that it's a bit strange. I myself have had a peaceful time here...but, I take it with a grain of salt."

She sat down near a small pile of the full jars, grabbing one and opening it, "Sit down, right here," Ruby complied, holding out her arms, giving the jar an cautious stare as Weiss used a stirring ladle to get some of it out.

"What is that stuff? It almost looks like Red Sap..."

Weiss gave her a raised brow in response, about to apply the sap, "It is Red Sap." Honestly how dense is this girl?

Ruby suddenly yanked her hand back, "Are you trying to poison me?!" She exclaimed, looking at Weiss as if she were the one acting ridiculous.

"You absolute dolt! It's only toxic in it's raw form to...to humans..." It was then realization hit her like a flock of Nevermores, _'I'm away from home with a human!'_

Ruby had the same revelation, scooting away from Weiss slightly, "I just noticed...that symbol on your satchel...curza..." The slur was murmured so low she almost didn't hear it, even still, she did.

"I take much offense to that!" Weiss exclaimed, Ruby reacted by reaching inside her cloak. The Witch acted faster, yanking out the sap collector from the thick bark of the tree, holding it at Ruby's throat. "Don't you dare, Huntress! Explanation, now!" She hissed furiously.

Ruby gulped, but instead of appearing scared, gained a defiant glare, "I could ask you the same thing, Witch!"

An air if trepidation came between them as they stared each other down for a few moments. Weiss only sighed, favoring pinching the bridge of her nose rather then keeping her improvised weapon at Ruby's throat, "This will get us nowhere. I won't try anything you won't, and we both get explanations, deal?"

The Huntress hesitated for a second, but eventually took her hand away from where Weiss assumed her weapon was, curling up to hug her knees. "Deal...but only if you go first!"

"Childish," Weiss scoffed, "but fine. I wasn't lying earlier, I'm gathering resources for lesser off Thaumborne. That's the proper term for our kind by the way." She couldn't help taking a verbal jab at Ruby, getting a mild sense of satisfaction when the Huntress cringed.

"I get it, jeez...but I wasn't lying either. I really am just up here hunting Grimm. And I'm only a trainee, so I can't hunt Witches without supervision or a partner anyway..."

"Oh, that makes me fee so much safer." Weiss snarked.

They sat in an awkward silence for a few minutes, neither sure of what to say. Until Ruby spoke up, if a little quietly, "So...what now?"

"Well, if you don't go and tell your other little trainee buddies about me, we never speak of this, ever," Weiss nodded herself, "Yes, an appropriate plan."

"Wait, you mean you're not going to curse me? Kill me?"

"What?! No! Why would I?"

"I was taught all Witches and uh Thomeborne?"

"Thaumborne." Weiss corrected.

"Yeah that, and Thaumborne were as soulless and evil as the Grimm we hunt...you could have used your magic to kill me, but you didn't. You tried to helped me...even if you nearly slit my throat with a sap collector." She paused to think for a second, "But even then, I went for my weapon first. What I'm trying to ask is...do you, uh, maybe want to meet up here more? I want to...understand your kind." Ruby pressed her index fingers together, nervously chuckling.

"Dolt," Weiss deadpanned without pause, "but maybe I'll...try. We can keep a truce in this neutral territory, but only here. And, I'll...try to be less difficult if you don't attempt to turn me in to the Hunters Association."

With a speed she didn't know Ruby possessed, she had suddenly wrapped one arm around Weiss' shoulders, making a sweeping motion across the sky with the other, "You won't regret this Weiss! In no time at all, I bet you'll be saying, 'Wow, that Ruby girl is really cool, and I wanna be her bestie.' "

Weiss ducked out of the trainees hold, "Awful imitation of me. And that has yet to be seen. I'll be here for another day and a half, and since you proposed the idea of getting to know one another, you will help me work."

That pout was back, the one that made her look like a puppy, "But work is boring...and poisonous to me."

"Sounds like your problem," She countered coolly, giving her a stack of jars and a spare sap collector.

"Aw..."

 _'I hope Ruby can stay quiet next time Winter calls...or at least doesn't give away her true identity,'_ She thought, watching the trainee get her foot caught in a tree root, "Ow, stupid trees, stop tripping me! I, Huntress in training Ruby Rose will lay waste to--oof, aw not again! Weiss, I think I broke a few...a lot of the jars..."

 _'We're doomed.'_  
______________________________________________________

Coming back to Beacon was usually one of the best parts of a hunt. Ruby got to see all her friends that didn't come with her, share awesome stories about other hunts...

"And so, I took my hammer, and boom! Chunks of that curza bitch went flying!"

"Nora, you broke their spine, not smashed them into pieces."

...now it was kinda uncomfortable listening to what could be Weiss's friends or family being brutally murdered.

"What about you Ruby? Get any action on your solo hunt?" Yang, her sister, asked from her seat next to her. It was currently lunch, a time where she'd usually be telling her own stories. But now, she only felt out of place with the secret she was keeping.

"Uh, nope. Not a lot of Grimm either, so it was actually really easy."

"Boo, boring," Yang teased, "I actually had a run in with a pack of Ursula on mine. It got real crazy when one of the bastards went for my hair..."

Ruby zoned out again as her sister started telling them about her latest venture, thinking about her time with Weiss on the Mountains. Not being killed immediately after Weiss discovered her as a Huntress in training had already turned her original views on the enemy on it's head, and the more time spent with Weiss tossed more and more of them out the window.

Weiss was meticulous, bossy, caring (no matter how much she denied it, it's obvious), and...had a family. Whenever Winter, her older sister apparently, called to check up on Weiss, sounding so worried after Weiss had forgotten to pick up the first time cause she thought Hunters had gotten her...

Thaumborne and Witches like Weiss have families, friends, and feelings just like a regular old human would. So the real question is...why are they still fighting?

"Hey, Rubes, what's up?"

Yang startled her out of her thoughts, "O-oh! Uh...just tired, it was a long and boring couple of days in the Mountains, ya know?" She mentally kicked herself for not paying enough attention, now her friends will probably be suspicious of her.

"Hm...maybe you should go rest up. I'll tell Port the mission wore you out, alright?"

Ruby knew that tone. Yang was only letting it go for now, but the moment they were alone she'd interrogate her to figure out what's wrong, she was a very protective big sister like that. But if it meant she could take a nap, she wasn't about to miss out on that, "Sounds good sis."  
______________________________________________________

Weiss was bombarded with questions the moment she got home, by both her sister and even Klein, who had heard from Winter about her going on a trip. Thankfully the questions were rather easy to evade. She wasn't exactly lying when she said she didn't run into any Grimm or Hunters, _'Just a dolt of a trainee.'_ She added in her head, having to keep herself from chuckling during the thorough questioning.

Thankfully Klein had to return to his duties, Winter followed suit, today was her turn to perform maintenance on the barrier. The barrier was the only thing keeping them protected as of late, which meant keeping it up and running was top priority. After that, the familiar deafening silence of the Schnee manor began to make it's way back. She hated it.

So, without even bothering to greet her Father, Weiss found herself leaving yet again. It wasn't as if he'd really care anyway.

Outside the Schnee manor was an entirely different experience then the bustling of the many other Thaumborne in hiding. It was essentially a huge marketplace kind of area, know as Bazaar, that spread until you reached the Outermost, or, the area right next to the barrier. And it was here where Weiss believed the true heart of the Coven is. Her family may have run a large part of the Thaumborne as a whole since before the Wars, but they never mingled with those considered below them. That is where she liked to think she was different from other Schnee.

It took about an hour of walking to finally find what she was looking for, the Medley Motley orphanage. It was a rather large and one of the few better looking buildings on the border between the Bazaar and the Outermost. Both due to her own contributions as well as the hard work of its owners, Blake and Sun. They were an interesting pair, one an ex-assassin/terrorist, the other an ex-thief. It wasn't a surprise how they met either, Sun attempted to steal from her, and then kill her for being a Schnee, while Blake tried to kill her cause she was a Schnee...huh. Weiss was beginning to notice a pattern on how she made friends...

But, all of that was thankfully over with, and they now ran an orphanage where Faunus and Thaumborne alike could live until the lucky day someone took them in. Even if Thaumborne are discriminated against because of their innate magic abilities, they, as well as Humans, discriminate Faunus for their heritage. While Thaumborne are said to be descended from creatures such as Elves, Fairies, and such. Faunus are said to be descended from more...Demonic origins. And the animal traits reflect that beastly blood dwelling within.

Weiss never really cared about whether or not you were Thaumborne or Faunus, but she will admit to having a very negative first impression of them growing up. The White Fang, a group that rose to fight against those who treated them like animals...unfortunately the Schnee were known for doing just that. Thankfully, The White Fang has been rather quiet following the years Blake left, though they may still cause some trouble now and again.

Whatever the case, it would never stop her from paying them a visit. She knocked on the door, in a certain way so they knew who it was. Of course, she didn't expect to be tackled the moment the door opened.

"Ricy!" They squealed loudly, clutching tightly at her legs, "You took too long!"

Weiss only smiled, giving them a pat on the head, "Hello Ochre, are Blake and Sun around?"

The little bear Faunus nodded with a toothy grin, "Blakey's readin' on the couch, an' Sunspot's going shopping. Come on, you promised we'd all get to play next time you came back!"

 _'And by shopping, that means he's actually out messing with Humans...honestly that monkey boy...'_ She mentally sighed. While she did say Sun was an ex-thief, it didn't mean he stopped messing with Humans.

Ochre gave a hard pull, effectively dragging Weiss through the front door. Being a bear Faunus gave the small girl the physical strength of a grown man at the tender age of 8. It was attributes like these that Humans and Thaumborne feared, but Weiss thought it was all ridiculous. Ever species had their talents. Thaumborne were naturally gifted in all magic and high Mana storage, Faunus for their unmatched abilities of increased agility, strength, senses, and endurance, Humans...well, she was working on that. All thanks to that little red dolt of a girl, Ruby Rose.

"Blakey! Ricy's here! We gotta play now!"

Blake peered over her book, "Welcome back Ricy." She greeted, a smirk already forming.

"Don't push it Belladonna, I've already got enough children to entertain."

Ochre started gathering the other kids for the inevitable assault on Weiss to get her to play. Ah, kids, so adorable, such brats.

"Hm, before you get sequestered into the mercy of the little tykes, anything worthwhile happen on your trip?"

"It was..." The Witch thought about what to say, while she was sure she could trust Blake, it was only a matter of whether she wanted to tell her the truth, "certainly not that interesting. Hardly any Grimm even." She decided not to, ' _It's too early to bring it up...'_

"Hm," Blake shut her book completely, which wasn't a good sign. It meant she picked up on something, "really?"

She huffed a bit, crossing her arms across her chest, "Yes, really."

"The scent on your clothes tell a different story...while at first I was only able to pick up typical woodland smells and Red Sap...focusing a bit more, I picked out a peculiar one. Human," the cat Faunus concluded, patting down on a spot next to her, "How about you sit and explain that for me?"

"Damn it," Weiss grumbled, carefully seating herself, "Damn you and your nose too."

"Don't be a sore loser, now spill, and fast, I hear the kids gathering together in one large group...no doubt to take you away from me."

"Okay, fine. It started out as usual until I sensed a flare of Mana, one if those old traps had been set off..."  
______________________________________________________

"So, you encountered a Huntress..."

"Trainee."

"But a trainee Huntress of all things...and you didn't die?"

"Obviously not! Though, at one point I was sure we were going to attempt to kill one another..."

Blake patted her back, "You really need to find a different way of making friends, I'm starting to think this is unhealthy."

"Wait, you're not mad?" Weiss asked, bewildered. She expected Blake to freak out, or at least give any other reaction then this.

"Nope, being around all these kids--"

"--and Sun."

"--again, all these kids, plus a man-child, have made me almost immune to most crazy hijinks anyone could get into. Just don't do anything stupid." She finished bluntly.

"How kind of you," Weiss replied dryly, though internally collapsing in relief.

"Watch out Ricy."

"Blake, don't call me tha--" The Witch couldn't even complete her sentence as a mob of kids piled onto her from all directions.

"Got ya Ricy!" Declared Ochre, "Now my brethren...take her to the backyard! You owe us some play time."

"I won't go easy on anyone! Blake, care to join me in defeating these little brats?"

Her bow twitched atop her head, "I thought you'd never ask, Ricy."

"Oh stop that already!"

The excited exclamations of children soon followed, and everything was alright in the world...for now.  
______________________________________________________

It had been a week since that time in the Mountains, meaning that the time both her and Weiss agreed to meet again was coming up. Ruby wanted to say she waited patiently, but the truth was she'd been raring to go back since she first left. New friends were always exciting, add the fact that it was forbidden and it made it all the more tempting to just--whoa, wording it like that made it sound like--

"Ruby, you took another solo already?"

"Eep!" She totally didn't shriek....shut up, "Yang, don't scare me like that..."

"We've been walking together for almost 5 minutes and you didn't notice?"

"Oh..." Huh, she had been in her own head a lot lately, "Why?"

Yang's response was to ruffle her hair, "To see you off, duh. Don't tell me you forgot I said I would..."

The younger trainee gave a shy grin, "No...?"

"I heard that question mark!" Yang snatched her into a headlock, giving a hard noogie.

"How!? Stop it Yang!"

"This is what you get for spacing out all the time! It worried me ya know? And everyone else." She stopped rough housing her younger sister to give her that look. The one right before--

"So, tell me what in the hell has you so in your own little world."

\--there it is.

"But I have to go soon."

"Last time I checked, an hour is plenty of time."

"Dang it!"

"Come on, it can't be that bad..."

 _'You have no idea,'_ Ruby mentally groaned.

"...I mean, is it some secret lover or something?"

And like that her apprehension was gone, soon replaced with embarrassment and a much more prominent blush, "No! I don't--I can't--what?!"

This sent Yang into full fledged teasing mode, a devious grin to match. She clapped a hand on Ruby's back, nearly winding her, "I didn't think you had it in you, bailing out on assignments to get down with a mystery lover. Dad would be proud."

"I'm leaving early!" Ruby shouted, stomping away from her sister, who was still laughing rather loudly.

"Tell them I said hi! And to have you home at a reasonable hour!"

"Screw you!"

"Ha! That's what she said!"

"Urgh, you suck!"  
______________________________________________________

Meanwhile, Weiss was having a bit of an issue...

"I want to come with you."

"Blake no."

"Blake yes."

It had been like that ever since Blake had noticed the human scent on her clothes. The cat Faunus wanted to meet Ruby, but Weiss wanted to get to know her better first. Both to understand the opposing side, and sate a curiosity. Suddenly she thought of an idea, one that she probably should have used at the beginning, "Sun, left alone, in charge of children. Did I mention he'd be in charge of children? Young, impressionable..."

Blake actually froze, eyes temporarily widening in fear, "Point made," she sighed heavily, "but I do want to meet them eventually you know. So that way I know the face of my best friends potential killer."

Weiss thought of Ruby's klutzy nature for a moment, "I highly doubt that they would be responsible."

Blake responded by giving her a questioning stare.

"What?"

"You had a stupid grin on your face for a bit there, are you high? Did you accidentally inhale raw Dust again?"

"That was one time!"

"Twice, you remember what happened on April 3rd do you?"

"Whatever! You're staying, I'm going, goodbye for now," She stated quickly, pacing her steps faster then normal. Of course Blake couldn't help getting the last words.

"I bet your going to be whipped by the end of the trip!"

"I bet you're going to be wrong!"

"That's what you said about your EX!"

"You're an ass!"  
______________________________________________________

Despite the...initial difficulties, Weiss made it earlier then she intended. At least it gave her time to set up for the day. Even if the main purpose was to meet up with her new friend, if she didn't bring anything back from her trip then others would get suspicious. Nobody else needed to find out after Blake already did, that would not at all end well...

 _'Time to get to work,'_ Weiss thought _, 'but I swear to Fȳrian if Ruby's late, I'm going to work her like a dog...'_  
______________________________________________________

"I'm going to be late! Stupid Grimm and their stupid stabable faces!"

Ruby may have left early, but thanks to her getting distracted by some Grimm at the Mountains base...she was nearly an hour behind the agreed time. She was also having a bit of difficulty navigating through the Forever Falls when she got to it, everything looked the same!

"Ugh, how am I going to find Weiss? Well...she is really pale, like super pale...pff, I'd probably never find her in a snow storm--"

"EXCUSE YOU?!"

"AH! DON'T EAT ME--wait, Weiss?"

Contrary to Ruby's previous statement, Weiss was actually...pink, in the face at least. Probably out of anger, she quickly realized, "What I meant was--"

Weiss held out a hand, "Save it. You're already late, and apparently laughing at my...fair complexion, so don't dig yourself a bigger grave. Now get over here and start helping. Just for that little stunt, you're handling the Red sap." With that, she began stalking away to what the trainee figured was a makeshift camp.

"Wait! I wasn't trying to make fun of you! Uh, Weiss, I think it's actually pretty cute! I mean, when you're embarrassed or flustered your blush is just adorable and..." She trailed off when she noticed Weiss had stopped to look at her, a mix of anger and something she couldn't really read, cheeks quickly going from pink to red,"...I'm rambling aren't I?"

The Witch didn't say anything for a moment, but then she felt the ground shift from beneath her, making her loose her balance. "Ow...hey, did you just trip me? With magic?"

"Shut up or I'll do it again."

"You're so...prickly--ah, not fair!"

"I warned you!"  
______________________________________________________

The next few hours weren't that eventful, just the occasional question here and there while they worked. Of course, Ruby was beginning to grow bored of it, "Come on, can't we just take one break?"

"I have to do this otherwise it'll look suspicious. We're almost done anyway, only one more jar."

"I've got a question."

"And I might have an answer, just spit it out."

The trainee bit her lip, "But I don't want to accidentally offend you, so I have to be...what's that word you said I wasn't?"

"Tactful," Weiss supplied, "and I promise to not kick you for any accidental racism or cultural slandering that might be in your question."

"That's really specific," Ruby mumbled, "but, I'll take my chances. There was an incident a long time ago, where the White Fang attacked Beacon with Grimm, and were lead by a Witch. Do you think what they did was right? Or that humans deserved it after how many innocent Thaumborne and Faunus we've killed?"

Weiss was honestly surprised by the nature of the question, not expecting it from someone like Ruby at all, "I don't think it was right. No one deserved to die in such a horrific way that day, on either side. The Witch that lead it gave Thaumborne and Faunus an even worse reputation, and only increased the hate that plagues us all...I also don't think you should have lumped yourself in with those humans."

Before either of them could say anything else, Weiss's scroll went off. A message from...Blake. Odd, she knew Weiss wouldn't be back for another day at least. Her blood froze upon reading it, _'One of the kids are missing.'_

"Fuck!" She cursed, startling Ruby with the sudden exclaim.

"What's going on?"

"One of the kids is missing, my friend runs an orphanage, and the last time a kid went missing..."

"They were killed by a Hunter weren't they?"

Weiss nodded solemnly, "Precisely, which is why--"

"Ricy!"

The Witch knew that voice, she knew it all too well..."Ochre?! What the hel--heck, are you doing here?!"

The bear Faunus grinned despite the clear rage in Weiss's tone, running up to tackle her in a hug, "I wanted to come with you, but Blake wouldn't let me so I snuck out. Like a ninja--" Ochre cut herself off, nose and little rounded ears twitching. It was then she finally took notice that Weiss was not alone, "human."

"Hi...?"

"Ricy, we gotta run, evil red lady," she nearly effortlessly picked up the Witch by the waist, but Weiss struggled out of it with a bit of effort.

"Whoa, hang on Ochre...Ruby isn't a threat. She's actually pretty harmless."

Ochre only gave Ruby a fierce glare, teeth bared, a rare thing for the Faunus who was normally so cheerful, "I'll bite you if you go near Weiss again, zlor!"

Of course that earned Ochre a slap to the shoulder, "Ochre, enough! She hasn't done a thing to me, or you for that matter. Throwing slurs around isn't necessary!"

Ochre's glare faltered a bit, ears flattening from the scolding, "But she's a--a human Ricy! Evil red lady..."

Ruby just stood awkwardly, not sure what to do, "I'm...not evil..."

Weiss sighed, "I'm going to call Blake, she's worried about you for pulling a disappearing act. She and Sun are searching everywhere for you. You can stay here and be nice to Ruby, not evil red lady, okay?"

"Okay..." the bear grumbled, kicking the ground a bit.

"Good. I'll be just over by those trees, talk things out like big kids while I handle this."

And soon it was just the two of them. Neither really knew who should start, but Ochre did right before Ruby could, "I'm...sorry. For calling you zlor...it wasn't nice, and I know I shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. I've just...never met a human who hasn't hurt someone like me, or Ricy before."

Despite being threatened by the little bear Faunus earlier, the trainee smiled, "It's okay, I'm learning too. We all make mistakes, so it'd be pretty unfair of me to not accept your apology," She held put her hand, "Let's promise to keep learning, even when we mess up."

Ochre returned the smile, "Alright!" Then grabbed Ruby's hand to shake. Unfortunately, she hadn't considered to lessen her grip any, used to playing with other Faunus children.

"Ack--!" The painful squeeze felt as if her hand was breaking, thankfully, Ochre caught on before she actually did break her hand.

"Oh, sorry! I didn't know humans were so soft and squishy..."

Ruby held back the little tears in her eyes, smiling even wider to hide the urge to scream, "Nope, totally fine, we're good!"

Weiss watched from not too far off, chuckling, "Yes, Blake, for the last time, she's fine." Today may not have gone quite as planned...but it turned out better then it could have gone at least.  
______________________________________________________

It was nice seeing Ruby and Ochre get along...disturbingly well, after the apologies had been made. Weiss attributed it to the trainee's own childish behavior. But...this was just ridiculous...

"I get that double dipping the cookie in the milk is good, but what if breaks off and gets soggy?" Ochre asked, leaning in, looking far too serious for the topic they were discussing.

Of course Ruby indulged her, and at this point Weiss was convinced she wasn't even acting, "That's the risk you have to take, for taste, tradition, and all others who dare double dip."

"Both of you are dorks."

Ruby shrugged with a completely blank expression, "That's the way the cookie crumbles." Ochre giggled with her hands covering her mouth, soon followed by Ruby who couldn't keep a straight face for more then two seconds afterwards.

"And my point is proven," Weiss sighed, "Ochre, we have to take you back."

Ochre's ears flattened, "Aw, _crumb_ on!"

"Oh please not you too Ochre..." Weiss groaned.

" _Dough_ -n't be mad Weiss, it's all in good fun." Ruby chimed in.

"Yeah! You _knead_ to lighten up!"

This sent them into a another giggle fit, leaving the Witch to roll her eyes. Admittedly, it was a pretty cute sight. Of course, she couldn't let that distract her, "While this is fun and all, Ochre, you seriously need to go back home. I can't believe you wandered here in the first place...there are Grimm!" She scolded.

The bear Faunus stuck out her tongue, "I know! They smell bad, I can stay away from em' just fine!"

"Not the point, you could have been hurt."

"But I wasn't."

Weiss sighed. This was going to be a long trip back down.


End file.
